The Mystery at Putnam Hall Part 23

"I'll wager you'll have a dandy spread," went on the lad who loved to eat.

"Wish you were along, Stuffer?" asked Jack.

"Do I? Well, now, don't mention it!" and Stuffer's eyes fairly watered in antic.i.p.ation.

"I'll bring you something if I get the chance," sang out Pepper, as he gave his bicycle a shove and leaped into the saddle. "So-long!"

Jack and Andy followed their chum, and with a parting cry to Stuffer, all three pedaled along the highway leading to Point View Lodge. It was now night, but the three gas-lamps lit up the road so well that they had little difficulty in finding their way.

"We are not due until six o'clock," said Jack. "So we can take it easy.

No use of getting into a perspiration over it."

"We'll not sweat much to-night," answered Pepper. "Too cold. I move we keep at it until we reach that old barn near the Lodge. Then we can rest a bit, so that we won't appear at the place all out of breath."

Two miles were covered, and then they came to a place where the highway was unusually rough.

"Let me go ahead and pick the way," sang out Andy, and forged to the front.

"Better slack up a little!" returned the young major. "No use of taking chances when we have plenty of time."

Scarcely had he uttered the words when there came a cry from the acrobatic youth. His wheel commenced to wobble and twist. Over into some bushes he shot, to fall with a crash in their midst.

"h.e.l.lo, what's the matter with you?" sang out Pepper, and leaped quickly to the road, an example followed by Jack.

"Bicycle has gone to pieces, I guess," spluttered Andy, as he essayed to scramble out of the bushes.

"Are you hurt?" demanded Jack, anxiously.

"Only a few scratches, Jack. Say, that was a narrow escape, wasn't it?"

"Thought you said your wheel was in good condition," came from Pepper.

"So it was when I looked at it this morning."

"What's wrong now?"

"The handle-bars are loose for one thing. I don't know what else is wrong until I look it over."

The machine was brought forth from the bushes. The lamp-gla.s.s had been smashed and the light had gone out. Andy stopped the flow of acetylene gas, and then his chums turned the rays of the other lamps on the disabled bicycle.

"Handle-bars loose and also nuts on the front wheel!" cried Andy, after an examination. "Say, I believe some enemy did this!"

"Who?" questioned the young major.

"I don't know. Maybe Ritter, or Coulter."

"Hurry up and tighten things," cried Pepper. "We don't want to be late."

"Better be late than have a nasty tumble," returned Jack. "While you are at it, Andy, better look the whole machine over carefully."

"I will, Jack. And maybe you had better look your machines over, too."

"Good advice."

While Andy was fixing his bicycle Pepper and the young major inspected their own bicycles.

"Well, I never!" gasped The Imp, as the light fell on his rear wheel.

"Another quarter of a mile and I would have had a spill and no mistake!"

"Same here!" came from Jack. "Oh, isn't this the worst yet!"

"What's wrong?" queried the acrobatic youth.

"The back wheel is loose, and two of the sprockets of the sprocket-wheel have been filed down, to let the chain slip," answered Pepper.

"And my handle-bars are loose and the chain all but filed in two," cried Jack. "Boys, this was done on purpose!"

"Of course!" came from both of the others.

"Done by our enemies!"

"Sure."

"Ritter and his cronies."

"Well, we'd have to prove that," answered Andy, slowly.

"Don't you believe it, Andy?"

"I do; but that isn't proof."

"And that isn't getting us to Point View Lodge," came from Pepper. "I guess we'll have to walk!" he added, with something like a groan.

"Walk! We can't walk that distance," replied the young major.

"Well, we can't trust ourselves on these machines. We might if we had lots of time, but that we haven't got."

The three cadets stared blankly at each other. Here they were on a lonely road, and what to do none of them knew.

"Oh, if I only had Ritter here wouldn't I punch his head good!" muttered Pepper.

"Ritter will keep. Let us look over the machines and make up our minds what is to be done," said Jack.

The more they inspected the wheels the more hopeless appeared the task of fixing them up so they could be used.

"We simply haven't got time to bother with them," announced Jack. "We've got to get to the Lodge some other way."

"Well, what way?" asked Andy.